Safety devices



Dec. 27, 1966 B. B. BRENNAN SAFETY DEVICES Filed Sept. 29, 1965 INVENTOR BER/VICE B. BRENNAN United States Patent 3,294,299 SAFETY DEVICES Bernice B. Brennan, 1412 Wilmette Ave., Wilmette, Ill. 60091 Filed Sept. 29, 1965, Ser. No. 491,202 4 Claims. (Cl. 22428) The present invention relates generally to safety devices and more particularly to a leather bound, double-strand chain strap to be used in the prevention of loss by theft, or otherwise, of hand-carried objects such as ladies handbags or briefcases.

One end of the device is a chain loop which slips through any opening in the hand-carried object which has the requisite support strength. The opposite end of the device passes through this loop to secure the article to the strap. This opposite end is in the form of an adjustable loop which is worn over the wrist, bracelet fashion. The adjustable loop provides a strong, secure connection to the wrist of the person carrying the hand-carried object without causing any discomfort to the wearer.

This device is useful in preventing purse snatching and accidental loss of a purse. If a thief should grab the purse, the adjustable loop would tighten on the Wearers wrist to prevent loss of the purse. At the same time, if a woman wearing the attachment on her handbag should be the victum of an outright hold-up where life is endangered, the safety strap is easily disengaged so that the purse can be given up.

It is often convenient for women shoppers to set their handbags down on store counters where they are shopping in order to examine merchandise or to try on hats. Using the strap device described they may do so without fear of forgetting their purses or having them taken, and yet they will have considerable freedom of movement.

Similarly, a businessman transporting important and irreplaceable documents can be sure, by wearing the strap attached to his briefcase, that the briefcase will not be inadvertently left behind or stolen. Expensive articles purchased and being personally transported may also be secured in this manner. The uses for the device are innumerable for habitually forgetful people, as well as for holiday shoppers burdened with packages and concerned for the safety of their purses.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a safety device for use by a person with a hand-carried object.

Another object of this invention is to provide a flexible strap for a woman to wear with her handbag to prevent purse snatching.

A further object of this invention is to provide a safety device for use by a woman with a handbag to prevent the possibility of accidentally leaving the handbag while shopping or doing some other activity.

Yet a further object of this invention is to provide a safety device which is easily attached to a womans handbag and which may be connected to a womans wrist at will to prevent loss of the handbag.

These and other objects, advantages, and features of the present invention will hereinafter appear, and, for purposes of illustration, but not of limitation, an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side perspective View of a preferred embodiment of the present invention in a particular use;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention shown connected to the object to be carried;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view similar to that of FIGURE 2 but showing the device of this invention in an unattached condition;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of FIGURE 3;

, 3,294,299 Patented Dec. 27, 1966 FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of a first end of the device of this invention;

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of a second end of the device of the present invention shown in a fastening position.

With respect to the drawing, a safety device 1 is shown in use with a womans handbag 3 in FIGURE 1. The safety device 1 is connected to the handle 5 of the hand; bag 3 at point 7 in such a manner that the safety device may be disconnected only when the other end of the safety device is free. At the other end of safety device 1, a loop 9 is provided for attaching safety device 1 to the wrist 11 of a woman. While this illustration demonstrates the use of the safety device with respect to a womans handbag, it should be realized that the safety device 1 may be used equally well in other environments, such as with a mans briefcase or attach case.

A more complete view of the safety device 1 is shown in FIGURE 2. In this figure the safety device 1 is seen as a flexible strap 13 comprising a single length of chain link metal 15, which is folded back upon itself to form two strands 17 and 19. The folding of the chain link metal produces a loop portion 21 at one end of the flexible strap 13. As better seen in FIGURE 5 the free ends 23 and 25 of strands 17 and 19, respectively, are bridged by an annular ring 27.

Referring to FIGURE 2 again, the strands 17 and 19 are covered by a double sheath 29 of flexible material, such as leather or plastic. The strands 17 and 19 are bridged at a point adjacent the end away from annular ring 27 by an annular ring 31. The double sheath of flexible material 29 extends lengthwise between the annular rings 27 and 31. A loop 35, which serves to connect the safety device 1 to the wrist of the person, is formed by threading flexible strap 13 through annular ring 27. A stop means comprising a third annular ring 33 is placed over the flexible strap 13 so as to be freely movable over strap 13, but is retained adjacent annular ring 27 in loop 35 to prevent loss of the loop 35 by pulling strap 13 through annular ring 27.

The loop 21 is shown in a free state in FIGURE 3. The chain link metal strands 17 and 19 are connected to annular ring 31 at points 37 and 39 to form the closed loop 21. Closed loop 21 is large enough to permit passage of the entire safety device 1 therethrough in order to connect flexible strap 13 to a device having a handle, shown as 41 in FIGURE 2, in such a manner that strap 13 may be disconnected only when the other end of the flexible strap 13 is free.

In the sectional view of FIGURE 4 the construction of the flexible strap 13 is clearly shown, in an enlarged manner. The View is taken across one of the links of each of strands 17 and 19 of chain link metal so that they appear in two portions. For instance, strand 17 is shown having two sections 43 and 45. Similarly, strand 19 has sections 47 and 49. The double sheath 29 of flexible material has portions, or sheaths, 51 and 53. Sheath 51 surrounds the strand 17 of chain link metal, while sheath 53 surrounds strand 19. The sheaths 51 and 53 comprise a single section 55 of flexible material which is divided by a permanent joint along line 57 to form separate sheaths 51 and 53. The joint along line 57 may be conveniently made in any manner, such as by stitching. The resulting flexible strap 13 has the strength of the chain link metal and yet possesses the flexibility and softness of texture that results from the use of the flexible material 55, which is a necessary element in such a device involving human beings.

Particular details of the loop forming means are shown in FIGURE 5. In this figure the annular ring 27 is shown connected to ends 23 and 25 of strands 17 and 19. This figure also illustrates how the annular ring 33 acts as a stop means to prevent loss of loop 35. As seen in this figure, the annular ring 33 is of generally the same shape and size as annular ring 27. Thus, the presence of annular ring 33 prevents the strands 17 and 19 from being pulled through annular ring 27 when loop 35 is not about the wrist of a person.

Details of fixed loop 21, as used to connect safety device 1 to a hand-carried object, are illustrated in FIGURE 6. The fixed loop 21 is formed by connecting annular ring 31 between strands 17 and 19, as described above. Fixed loop 21 may then be passed about the handle of the handgarried object, such as 41 in FIGURE 2. The entire safety device 1 is then passed through the end of fixed loop 21 away from annular ring 31 to form a loop 59 about the handle of the hand-carried object. Loop 59 may then be tightened to exactly fit the contours of the handle or strap of the hand-carried object, such as shown in FIGURE 1 or FIGURE 2. This provides a means for connecting the safety device 1 (flexible strap 13) to a handle of any size in such a manner that the safety device may be disconnected only when the other end of the strap is free.

The use of the safety device 1 may be summarized by reference to the above-described figures. Taking as an example the use of the safety device 1 with a womans handbag, such as shown by the numeral 3 in FIGURE 1, a protective arrangement is easily provided by connecting one end of device. 1 to the handbag and the other end to the wrist 11 of the user. First of all, a loop 59 is formed by passing the entire safety device 1 through the fixed loop 21 after the fixed loop 21 has been passed about handle of handbag 3. The loop 59 is then closed to precisely fit the handle *5 and connect safety device 1 to handle 5 and handbag 3. At the other end of safety device 1 the loop 35, formed by annular ring 27 and maintained by the annular ring 33 acting as a stop, is enlarged to pass over the hand of the user. After being positioned on the wrist the loop is then tightened to prevent the safety device 1 from being removed until the user so desires. Thus, the handbag is quickly, easily, and securely connected to the wrist of the user to prevent theft cr loss. Also, the device may be easily removed at the will of the user.

It should be understood that the embodiments described are merely exemplary of the preferred practices of the present invention and that various changes, modifications, and variations may be made in the details of construction, arrangement, and operation of the elements disclosed herein, without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the present invention, as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A safety device for use by a person with a handcarried object comprising! a flexible strap;

means at one end of said flexible strap for connecting said strap to the hand-carried object in such a manner that the strap may be disconnected only when the other end of the strap is free;

an annular ring connected directly to said other end of said strap, said annular ring being large enough to permit the threading of said strap therethrough to provide an adjustable loop formed from said strap to fit the wrist of a person hand-ca-rryin g the object; and

stop means for preventing loss of said adjustable loop when said strap is not looped about the wrist of a person.

2. A safety device as recited in claim 1 wherein said stop means comprises:

a second annular ring having the same dimensions as said annular ring.

3. A safety device for use by a person with a handcarried object comprising:

a flexible strap comprising a length of chain link metal folded back upon itself to form a double strand with a loop at one end and free portions at the other end;

a first annular ring of a given size connected to said free portions of said length of chain link metal to simultaneously interconnect said free portions and provide an opening for threading therethrough said flexible strap to provide an adjustable loop to fit the wrist of a person hand-carrying the object;

a second annular ring substantially the same size as said first annular ring providing a stop means for preventing loss of said adjustable loop when said flexible strap is not connected to the wrist of a person;

a third annular ring substantially the same size as said first and second annular rings linking said double strand adjacent said one end to form a closed loop; and

means for connecting said closed loop to the handcarried object in such a manner that said strap may be disconnected from the object only when said other end of said strap is free.

4. A safety device as recited in claim 3 wherein said double strands of chain link metal between said first annular ring and said third annular ring are covered by a double sheath of flexible leather.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 917,738 4/1909 Opsal i 294-74 1,218,714 3/1917 Sunderland et al. 29474 2,522,719 9/ 1950 Johnson 22428 GERALD M. FORDENZA, Primary Examiner.

F. E. WERNER, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A SAFETY DEVICE FOR USE BY A PERSON WITH A HANDCARRIED OBJECT COMRISING: A FLEXIBLE STRAP; MEANS AT ONE END OF SAID FLEXIBLE STRAP FOR CONNECTING SAID STRAP TO THE HAND-CARRIED OBJECT IN SUCH A MANNER THAT THE STRAP MAY BE DISCONNECTED ONLY WHEN THE OTHER END OF THE STRAP IS FREE; AN ANNULAR RING CONNECTED DIRECTLY TO SAID OTHER END OF SAID STRAP, SAID ANNULAR RING BEING LARGE ENOUGH TO PERMIT THE THREADING OF SAID STRAP THERETHROUGH TO PROVIDE AN ADJUSTABLE LOOP FORMED FROM SAID STRAP TO FIT THE WRIST OF A PERSON HAND-CARRYING THE OBJECT; AND STOP MEANS FOR PREVENTING LOSS OF SAID ADJUSTABLE LOOP WHEN SAID STRAP IS NOT LOOPED ABOUT THE WRIST OF A PERSON. 